Method of and apparatus for handling ingots



Sept. 15, 1931. A. R. KELLER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING INGOTS 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 25, 1928 A. R. KELLER Sept. 15, 1931.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING INGOTS Filed Feb. 25, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet sept- 1931. A. R. KELLER 1,822,930

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING INGOTS Fiied Feb. 25, 1928 4 Sheets-Sh?! 5 Jmlewtot Wadi/(6%, is, K

QHW% I A R. KELLER Sept. 15, 19.31.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING TJNGOTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 25, 1928 Wm wm l mented Sept. 15,1931

warren srnras STB-UCTION MASSACHUSETTS than arena nemia ALFRED n. KELLER, or wononsrn'a, mssncnnsrrrrs, assrenon ro'monosn con- COMPANY, or wonensrnn, massaonosnrrs. A coonarron. or

METHOD OF AND AEPARATliTS HANDLING INQOTS Application filed February 25, 1328. Serial Nb. 256,902.

The present invention relates to the handling or transportation of ingots in steel mills or the like.

In most steel mills, the operation of removing the ingots from the soaking pits, in which they are heated, and transporting them, one by one, to the rolling mill is a time-consumingand wasteful process. As ordinarily practiced, this operation involves m the removal'of each ingot from the soaking pit by a crane or the like, the crane being operated to deposit the ingot, vertically, in a 'form or receptacle which is open at the top to ermit the ingot to be dropped therein.

This -orm or receptacle is ordinarily carried on a truck adapted to travel upon a track running between the soaking pits and the deliver table of the mill and the pro cednre, un er such circumstances is to move the truck to its delivery point, tip the form or receptacle so as to discharge the ingot, top end foremost, onto the roller or delivery table, and then run the truck back on its track to the particular soaking pit from afipwhich the next succeeding ingot is to be:

withdrawn.

It will readily be seen that much time is lost, when using the apparatus above described, in lowermgleach ingot, as withdrawn I so from the top of t e soakin its, down to the lower level occupied by t e truck or car; and that even more time is lost, as well as miich power consumed, in moving the ingotladen truck to its point of discharge and then bringing it back, empty, into position for receiving another ingot. Furthermore, by the above described method, when the receptacle or form on the truck is tipped to discharge the ingot, the u per end of the 49 latter is invariably presented foremost to the reducing rolls, this being the end Where the 1 metal is poorest and where itsim'pnrities are concentrated and hence the portion most liable to cracking and splitting when subjected to reduction by rolling.

According to the present invention, all ot the above noted difiicnlties and many, others are overcome by asystem ofingot transportation, between soaking pits and mill delivery tables, so designed as to eliminate the inherent delays and time-wasting operations of the previous systems and also to secure the presentation of each ingot to the reducing rolls with its'bottom or best end foremost, in

consequence of which last, the wastage in rollin from defective first ends is materially rer need. The alcoveand other ohject's'are attained by the improved system of ingot transportation hereinafter set forth in detail, reference-being had in this connection to the accompanying drawings, inwhiclr- Fig. 1 is aschematic plan view of my improved system, as applied to the transpor-v tation of ingots from a plurality of soaking pits to a plurality of rolling mills.

Fig. 2 is a view on a larger scale, illustrating partly in section and partly inside elevation, one of the ingot receiving devices that islocated adjacent the soaking pits.

Fig.3 .is a similar view of another it'orm of ingot receiving device, shown inconjunction with an inclined curvedv conveying chute for the initial transportation of the ingots. 4

Fig.4 is a large-scale sectional view on the line 4l4, Fig. 1. I I Fig. 5 is a large scale sectional view of the roller mountings used in the ingot conis a view similar to Fig. 45, show-,

a pair of blooming mills, or the like, the

between parallel side guides 4, 4 and adapted to procure the longitudinal movement thereon of the ingots, either toward or away from the associated mill, depending upon the direction in which the conveyor rolls 3, 3 are driven. I

Said roller tables 1, 1', or their equivalent longitudinal ingot-conveying means, are well known in the art and of themselvesform no part of the present invention. Said invention, as hereinafter described, resides in the arrangement and manipulation of certain instrumentalities employed for the transportation of ingots to these mill roller tables 1, 1' from a plurality of more or less remote soaking pits indicated diagrammati-. cally at 5, 5 in Fig. 1. These soaking pits may be of conventional construction, with their top openings, through which the ingots are withdrawn, at' a level somewhat above the level occupied by the mill roller tabls 1, 1.

' As shown in Fig. 1, an ingot run, pro

vided by an elongated series of conveyor rolls arranged generally at right angles to the conveyor rolls 3, 3 of the roller tables 1, 1',

- extends along the whole row of soaking pits 5, 5, between said soaking pits and the roller tables 1, 1'. This elongated ingot run, desig nated as a whole by the numeral 6, occupies preferably substantially the same level as the roller tables 1, 1, i. e., a level below the withdrawal openin s of the soaking pits 5, 5,

and the feed 0 the ingots to said ingot run 6 is through a plurality of suitably located curved inclined'chutes 7, 7, whose construction will be hereinafter described. Ingots so fed to the elon ated run 6 from the chute 7, 7 on one side t ereof, are adapted, as hereinafter described, to be delivered, when desired, from the other side of said ingot run through pairs of lateral branches 8, 8, each pair merging into a single conveyor section 9, at right angles to the ingot run 6 and in alinement with one of the mill roller tables 1 or 1'. As will hereinafter appear, each curved branch 8, 8 and each conveyor sec tion 9 is equipped with suitably driven conveyor rolls on which the ingots are supported, whereb the travel of said ingots to the respective estinations selected for them can be secured.

As indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1, ingot-receiving" devices 10, 10 are placed conveniently to the top openings of the soaking pits '5, 5,.one such device 10 bein associated with theentrance to each ingot chute 7. As herein shown, a single chute 7 is made to serve a pair of soaking pits 5, 5, but obviously the number of such chutes, each equipped with lower end; said stop 16 is hel stantially the same elevation asthe tops of the soaking pits 5 and carrying atrough-like cradle whose bottom 12 inclines downwardly and whose sidewalls 13, 13 (only one being shown) are extended upwardly, near the lower end, as shown at 14, and bridged by a curved stop or nose piece 15. The crane, not shown, which lifts each ingot out of the soaklng pit, 1s manipulated so as to drop or deposit said-ingot in the cradle or receiver, substantially in the position indicated by the broken lines a, Fig. 2, and when the hold of the crane is released, said ingot will invariably topple over backwards into the position b, Fig. 2, because the stop or nose piece 15' prevents tipping in the other direction. In position b, the ingot is temporarily heldfrom sliding down the inclined floor 12 of the cradle by engagement of a pivoted sto 16 with its d in operative position by a pivoted latch 17, having a connection 18 with a solenoid, or other operating device, 19." Upon the rocking counterclockwise of latch 17, by energization of the solenoid 19, or by any other means within the operatorscontrol, the stop 16becomes free to 'move counterclockwise from the pressure exerted thereon by the tendenc of the ingot to slide, bottom end foremost, own through the cradle; thus each ingot deposited in the receiver or cradle will, when released by the operator, pass by gravity into the associated chute 7, this movement depressing the stop 16 until the last end of the ingot haspassed over said stop, whereupon a counterweight 20 will cause said stops return to operative position for reengagement by the latch 17.

Another form of ingot-receiving device, designed to secure the forwarding of each ingot with its bottom end foremost, is illustrated sectionally in Fig. 3, the same,as shown, comprising an appropriately mounted standard 21 adjacent the soaking pit openings, which standard provides journal mountings 22 for a hollow ingot receptacle 23, open at both ends. Said receptacle 23 in its normal ingotn .recelving position stands substantially up- I right, as indicated by the broken lines-in Fig.

3, and the crane which removes each ingot from the soaking pit is manipulated to drop said ingot, bottom .end foremost, intoreceptacle 23, asa result of which the bottom end of said ingot rests against the'curved upper surface of a member 24 carried by standard 21 in underlying relation to receptacle 23,

and preferably spring-supported, as shown at- Hill wij proper time, can secure a clockwise tilting of said receptacle into the full line position of Fig. 3, for the gravity discharge of the ingot from the lower end of the receptacle. This tilting can be accomplished in any manner,

as for instanceby a pivoted link connection 26 between receptacle 23 and a crank plate. 27, the latter being given the desired angular movement through a worm and worm gear connection 28 with a driving motor 29. As the receptacle 23 is tilted clockwise from its ingot-receiving position, the bottom end of the ingot drags over the curved surface of member 24 until it clears the left hand edge of saidsurface, whereupon said ingot is rendered freeto pass by gravity into the associated chute 7, this action being assisted in the construction herein shown by the provision of a plurality of transverse rollers 30, 30, so arranged within the receptacle 23 that when the latter is tilted into discharging position, the ingot will be supported on said rollers.

' As a practical matter, by the presentation ofan ingot to the rolls of a rolling mill with its lower end, rather than its upper end,

foremost, many advantages aresecured. The upper end of an in ct may'frequently have a split therein; if this end is first presented to the rolls, the compression of the latter will tend 5o crowd one-side of the in ot more than the 0 her side, and thus the split is apt to be elongated, and this of course necessitates the cutting off and discarding of a very considerable length from the front end ofjthe billet or bar to which the ingot is reduced. On the other hand, when the ingot is presented to the rolls in accordance with my invention, with its lower end foremost, there. is no tendencywhatsoever for an split at. the upper end to be elongated; the ottom or inner portion of the split is first encountered by the rolls,and

' hence there is no tendency to extend the split or break any greater distance into the ingot.

Each ingot, as discharged lowerend foremost in the manner above described from either form of ingot-receiving device 10, thereupon finds its support upon the rolls 31, 31 of the curved inclined chute 7, said rolls being suitably journalled for free rotative movement in the side walls 32, 32 of said chute, as best shown in Fig. 3, and each having its axis substantially transverse to the direction which saidchute takesat any particular point, so that said rolls 31, 31 conform to the curve of the chute instead of lyin'g askew of said chute. As herein shown, each chute-7 inclines downwardly, so that the ingot will travel upon the rolls 31, 31 by gravity until it reaches the discharge end of'said chute, at which time, on account of the curvature of said chute, its direction of travel is almost at right angles to its initial direction of projection into the chute. My invention, however, is not limited to the use of ingot chutes having a downward inclination, since it is obvious that any suitable driving means could be employed to rotate'therolls 31, 31 and" thereby cause them to impart motion to the ingots, if the force of gravity were not available'to secure such motion.

The ingot run 6, as shown in Fig. 1, consists essentially of an elongated seriesof conveyor rolls'33, 33, each of which, preferably, is of somewhat less. diameter at its mid-section than at its ends, so as to confine the ingots travelling, on said rolls to a substantially straight path. Suitable side guides 34:, 34 are provided for these rolls 33, 33 and the shafts of said rolls project through said side guides and carr suitable gearing, indicated diagrammatically in Figs. 6 and 7, by which said rolls are driven in unison. at appropriate speeds. Adjacent the discharge ends of the ingot chutes 7, 7, the continuity of the rolls 33, 33 of ingot run6 is broken, for the interposition, in each case, of a special short conveyor roll section 35, 6 consisting of a plurality of suitably driven parallel conveyor rolls 36, 36, all of them skewed with reference to the rolls 33, 33. Said skewed rolls 36 gradually diminish in length from the initial one, at the delivery end of chute 7, which spans said chute and also the ingot run '6, to the final one, whose length is substantially the width of the ingot run 6; in this way, provislon is made for the projection onto the ingot run 6 of ingots that are delivered by the chute 7, while maintaining also the substantial continuity of the ingot run so that other in ots, not delivered by the particular chute in question, may still be movedlengthwise in said ingot run 6 Withoutinterruption.

y In substantially the same manner, at each lateral branch 8 of the ingot run 6, the continuity of the rolls 33 isbroken by the interposition of specialshortconveyorroll sec-' tions 37, (Fig. 7), each consisting of a.plu-' rality of suitably driven rolls 3 8, 38 skewed with reference to the rolls 33, and gradually increasing in length from the first one which spans on y the ingot. run 6 to the final one branch 8. These skewed rolls 38, in each instance, underlie a' pivoted switch member 39; in the broken line positions of-said switch members shown at the right'hand end of Fig. 1, ingots travelling on the ingot run 6 will be prevented from passing to the, right hand mill roller table 1', and under these conditions, all the ingots will be deflected from the conveyor rolls 33 of the ingot run onto the conveyor rolls 40,40 of the right hand pair of branches 8, 8, for passage to the left hand mill roller table 1; obviously, any other desired distribution may be obtained.

115 which spans said run and also the width of y &

ordinary construction and are driven in any suitable manner so that ingots received thereon will be projected forwardly onto the conveyor rolls 41,41 of section 9. Said rolls 41, 41 of each section 9 have their axes trans verse to the axes of rolls 33, and said rolls 41, 41 gradually diminish in length from the initial one which spans the merging pair of sections 8, 8 as well as the space between them, to the final one, whose length is scarcely more than the width of the mill roller table 1 or 1, as the case may be. Said rollers 41, 41 at their central portions are provided with pronounced grooves or recesses, which aline with the space between the two merging branches 8, 8. Said space is utilized for a rearwardly extending conveyor section 42, comprisinga suitably driven series of conveyor rolls 43 which, as shown in Fig. 4, incline downwardly from the initial roll 41 of section 9, and pass completely under the ingot run 6, at right angles thereto. Any ingot found to be defective or unsuitable, .by reason of its temperature, for reduction after being run out to the section 9, can, by reversalof the rolls 41, be deflected into the grooves or recesses of the latter, for projection onto the. return conveyor section 42, which may deliver to a suitable storage table or the like,

adjacent the soaking pits, so that said ingot, can be conveniently subjected to reheating,-

or otherwise disposed of,-if found defective. When the rolls 41, 41 are reversed, with an ingot resting thereon in skewed relation as a result of its delivery from the conveyor rolls 40, 40, the effect is to automatically carry the ingot broadside as well as backwards, so that it ultimately reaches the grooves or recesses of the rollers 41, 41, and is thus alined with the rearwardly extending conveyor I rolls 43, 43.

The curvature and simultaneous downward inclination of the ingot-delivery chute 7 gives adistinct warp to these chutes, which makes it preferable to use the special construction shown in Fig. 5, for the mountingsof the rolls 31, 31. As shown, the necks or gudgeons 44, 44 of each roll 31 are support-ed byroller bearings 45, the outer raceways of which are constituted by cup-shaped members 46, 46. Each 'inember 46 presents an outer convex surface, of spherical contour, to a complementary inner concave surface provided by the supporting box or sleeve 47,'which is removably inserted in a suitable opening provided by the side wall 32 of the-chute7. In this way, the rolls 31, 31 are supported for unrestrained rotative movement, rnotwithstanding the warp and twist of the chute 7, and further-- more, said rolls can be easilyremqved for replacement or repair, by simply withdrawing one of the boxes 47 with its associated member 45. g

In the passage of an ingot through the 5 curved'chute 7 and also in any of the curved rseaeao Another highly advantageous result which is obtained by my invention is that each ingot in transit is subject, at times, by the special construction and arrangement of the conveyor rolls, to a pronounced axial rotation, the effect of which is to remove a very material part of the scale from the ingots surface. This axial rotation is promoted by the fact that the rolls 33 of ingot run 6 have a reduced mid-section in consequence of which the delivery of an ingot to said rolls from the skewed rolls 36, 36 is followed by a rolling or twisting of the ingot until it reaches a I central position on said rolls 33. Likewise the passage of an ingot oil said rolls 33 and onto the skewed rolls 38 involves asomewhat similar axial rolling movement which is prometed by the fact that said rolls 33 have a reduced mid-section.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination with a rolling mill for the reduction of successively delivered ingots, of a. receivin g means in which each ingot is deposited by initial entry of that end of the ingot which in the casting operation occupies the bottom of the casting mold or receptacle and means for operating said receiving means to discharge each ingot longitudinally, with its said bottom end foremost.

2. In the transportation of hot ingots from a soaking pit to a rolling mill, the improvement which consists in delivering each ingot to a receptacle permanently located near the mouth of the pit, and procuring said ingots deliver from said receptacle onto conveyor rolls a apt-ed to forward it longitudinally to the mill.

In the transportation'of hot ingots from a soaking pit to a rolling mill, the improvement which consists in delivering each ingot to a receptacle permanently located near the mouth-of the pit, and procuring said ingots receptacle permanently located at or near the v level of the pits mouth, and procuring the neaaeae delivery of each ingot, lower end foremost,

from said receptacle by gravitational movement onto conveyor rolls adapted to forward it longitudinally to said mill.

5. n the transportation of hot ingots from a plurality of soaking pits to a plurality of rolling mills, the improvement which consists in procuring the gravitational movement of each of the ingots withdrawn from said pits onto a longitudinal conveying means common to all of said pits, and directing the ingots as received on said conveying means selectively to any one or more of said rolling mills.

6. In the transportation of hot ingots from a plurality of soaking pits to a plurality of rolling-mills, the improvement which consists in procuring the gravitational move ment of all the ingots withdrawn from said pits onto a longitudinal conveying means common to all of said pits and all of said mills, and procuring selectively the delivery of the ingots from said conveying means to any one or more of said mills, or to other conveying means adapted to return said ingots for reheating to said soaking pits.

In apparatus of the class described,-the combination with conveying means forthe longitudinal forwarding of ingots, of a receptacle adapted for the substantially vertical deposit therein of a hot ingot as withdrawn from a soaking pit, and means for'discharging said ingot, lower end foremost, from said receptacle onto said conveying means.

8. In apparatus of the class described, a receptacle for the substantially vertical deposit t-herein of a hot ingot, said receptacle providing means for the gravitational discharge therefrom of said ingot, lower end foremost.

9. In apparatus of the class described, the

' combination with a soaking pit, of a receptacle located near the mouth of saidpit, to re-' ceive, in substantially VGItlClllPOSltlOIl, the hotlngotssuccesslvely withdrawn from said pit, said receptacle providing means to procure the tipping of each ingot therein into an inclined position with its lower end foremost, and means permitting the gravitational delivery of each ingot from said receptacle.

10. In apparatus ofthe class described, an ingot receptacle having an inclined bottom and providing means to procure the lengthwise disposition on said bottom of each ingot introduced to said receptacle by tipping of said ingot in a predetermined direction, and means for releasably holding each ingot from sliding on said inclined bottom.

11. In apparatus of the class described, an ingot receptacle having an inclined bottom against which the lower end of each ingot deposited in said receptacle makes contact, means for preventing forward tipping of an ingot so deposited in said receptacle, whereby the unstably' supported ingot will invariably tip backwardly, to dispose its lower end farthest down on said inclined bottom, and. means for temporarily restraining the lengthwise gravitational movement of said ingot on said inclined bottom.

12. In apparatus of the class described, a.

tical deposit therein of a hot ingot, said rcceptacle having inclosing walls adapted to move independently of its bottom, whereby said ingot can be shifted into an inclined position for gravity discharge, lowerend foremost,from said receptacle when the latter is tilted to carry said lower end clear of said bottom, and rollers arranged within the walls of said receptacle, to promote the gravitational movement of said ingot, when the receptacleis tilted into discharge position.

14:. Apparatus for the transportation of hot ingots from a soaking pit to a rolling mill, comprising an elongated series-of conveyor rolls extending transversely of the mill, and onto which rolls the ingots are delivered by gravity from the soaking pit, and means consisting of other conveyorrolls for deflecting the ingots from said first mentioned series into line with the reducing rolls of said mill.

15.; Apparatus for the transportation of hot ingots from a plurality of soaking pitsto a plurality of rolling mills, comprising an. elongated series of conveyor rolls forming an ingot run between the soaking pits and the mills, means for procuring on one side of said ingot run a gravity delivery of ingots thereto from said soaking pits, and conveying means extending from the other side of said ingot run to each of said mills.

165 In apparatus for the transportation of hot ingots, an ingot run, comprising an elongated series of conveyor rolls, said runhaving on one side a plurality of feeder branches and on the other side a plurality of deliveryv branches, each of said branches being constituted bvconveyorrolls substantially atright angles to the rolls of said run,

hot ingots, an elongated series of conveyor rolls constituting an ,ingotrun, a mill roller table substantially at right angles to said ingot run, latters length, and two sets of driven conveyor rolls, on opposite sides of the center line of said millroller table, and making Convergent curved paths-for the longitudinal transportation of oppositely travelling ingots on said ingot rum from said conveyor rolls to said mill roller table.

18. In apparatus for the transportation of hot ingots, an elongated series of conveyor rolls constituting an ingot run, a mill roller at an intermediate point in the combination with other rolls with their axes skewed to said first-mentioned rolls, and providing for the delivery of ingots to or from said conveyor, said first-mentioned rolls be-, ing reduced at their mid-sections, thereby to cooperate with saidskewed rolls in imparting axial turning movements to said ingots.

Dated thistwenty-first day of February,

ALFRED R. KELLER.

table substantially at right angles to said ingot run, and conveying means for the longitudinal delivery to said mill roller table in curved paths converging'thereon from both sides, of ingots moving in either direction on said ingot run.

19. In apparatus for the transportation of 7 hot ingots, an elongated series of conveyor rolls constituting an ingot run, a mill roller table substantially at right angles to said ingot .run, curved sets of conveyor rolls converging on said roller table from opposite sides, to connect it with said ingot run, and a set of conveyor rolls between said curved sets and extending underneath the rolls ofsaid ingot run.

. 20. In apparatus for the transportation of hot ingots, an elongated-series of conveyor rolls constituting an ingot run, a mill roller table substantially at right angles to said ingot run, curved sets of conveyor rolls converging on said roller table from opposite sides,-to connect it with said ingot run, and

. means operable by reversal of said roller table v rolls t centralize an ingot thereon.

21. n apparatus for the transportation of hot ingots, an elongated series of conveyor rolls constituting an ingot run, a mill roller table substantially at right angles to said ingot run, curved sets of conveyor rolls converging on said roller-table from opposite sides, to connect it with said ingot run, means operable by reversal of said roller table rolls to centralize an ingot thereon, and a set of conveyor rolls extending oppositely from said roller table rolls, and beneath said ingot run, for returning an ingot so centralized to a storage location.

22. In apparatus of the class described, an.

ingot run, a mill roller table substantially'at right angles to said ingot run, means for conveying ingots longitudinally in a curved path from said ingot run to the rolls of said roller L table, certain of said rolls being centrally grooved, whereby upon their reversal, aningot recelved in skewed position thereon from said curved path will be centralized, and a set of return conveyor rolls extending be- 1 neath said ingot run, to receive anjngot so eeilltsrallzed by the reversal of said grooved ro 23. In apparatus of the class described, a series of rolls providing a conveyor for the longitudinal transportation of hot ingots, in 

